Oh, and if you participated in last months goal post, you may want to see if you are one of the winners of the MOVband armband activity monitor.

So let's get to it!

Wait... what is a "goal post?"

If you are not a regular here, you may think a goal post is just the thingy at the end of a football field. You may not realize that a monthly goal check-in has become something of an institution here at Cranky Fitness.

Wait, anyone got a dictionary? Is "institution" defined as "a thing that has happened a few times before, and may even happen again in the future, unless we get bored and say f--ck it, let's not bother?"

Oh, that's not what it says? Well, then never mind that whole "institution" thing.

But anyway, since the beginning of the year, we've been checking in once a month about goals or aspirations or progress or random thoughts about what we're doing or not doing. These goals could be related to fitness or not, we don't care. It's basically a place to grouse or rejoice or get encouragement or whatever. Sometimes declaring that you're going to do something helps motivate good behavior, at least for a little while.

The cool thing is that commenters often reply to each other, and check back, and engage in discussions, and offer encouragement and support. There is a giveaway at the end of the month as a gesture of appreciation for those who participate. A subset of commenters is secretly selected by me to be finalists, totally arbitrarily, and then the Random Number Generator picks the actual winner. This way, if you win, you know I picked you, but if you don't, you know I probably picked you and its totally the RNG's fault you got robbed.

This Month's Giveaway: A Book You Will Probably Enjoy! Unless You Have Something Against Runners or Donkeys.

Note: The author owns donkeys, I am not implying she is a donkey. She is the one in the middle and clearly is not a donkey.

Anyway, the book is a hilarious but often bittersweet memoir of a self-described "fat runner." There is a lot about running, and about Running While Fat--something that our culture seems to regard as bizarre and vaguely threatening. But the book is also about handling the heartbreaks of life, and finding inspiration where you can, and cool stuff like that.

Jennifer has a kick-ass sense of humor and a feisty attitude. She is exactly the sort of writer Crabby McSlacker aspires to be! Except that Jennifer doesn't swear quite enough and she has an actual story to tell. Plus, again, she has donkeys. And kids. That all sounds like too much work.

The only two things I might take issue with are: (1) While I love that she embraces the word fat unapologetically, Jennifer doesn't look all that fat to me. But then I guess we all get to define ourselves however we want, so if she says she's fat then I guess she is so never mind. And (2) it is already hard enough to open any sort of account if your initials are J. Graham and do we really need another J. Graham out there hogging possible email addresses and urls etc? I think she should change her name to Runnifer Donkynski or something.

But otherwise, I heartily approve. And don't take my word for it, check out Jennifer Graham's blog or her articles published in periodicals you will have actually heard of to reassure yourself that she is awesome.

Oh, and this giveaway is part of a Virtual Book Tour put together by the charming and capable Emily Hedges of Hedges Virtual Book Tours. So if you are a blogger who likes to read and review things, and if you'd like to participate in future tours, you may want to get in touch to see if your blog is a good fit for anything!

Congratulations! Please claim your prize by emailing me (see schmooze page) within the next week with your mailing info. and I'll get our sponsor right on it.

But wait, it seems something's missing this month...

Where is The Boring Advice Part About How to Achieve Your Cherished Goals?

I've been kinda preachy lately, chock full of advice you already know and which I may or may not follow myself, depending on how far up my own posterior my head is at any given moment. I'll check in with my own May goal below in the comments, but I'm going to spare you the usual Tips and Tricks stuff. I'm way more interested in what YOU folks have to say about what you'd like to see happen in your lives, how you're dealing with the ups and downs, and what doesn't work for you or what does works for you, so I can steal your tricks to use myself! Or better yet, turn them into another rambling blog post.

Did anyone achieve anything interesting in April? What might you be looking to do in May?Or just stop in and say hi!

113 comments:

OK, I have a few aspirations about "getting back to healthy habits" and "getting on top of work stuff" etc, but my main goal for May is not about that.

It's that trite but true thing about realizing that goals and striving will always be there, but the real trick is to figure out how to not get wrapped up in results and just enjoy every day of playing the game as much as possible. (I won't say every moment, 'cause that would be unrealistic).

So my goal is to remember to touch base as often as I can and check in with whether I am having fun. If I'm wasting any brain energy on fretting, I plan to work on cutting it the heck out. If what I'm doing doesn't seem fun, I want to either figure out how to make it less chore like or do something else for awhile.

And yeah, this is something I already work on, but at the moment, I'm deciding to make it more of a focus.

Ok, day 1 I'm doing pretty good on the "fun" so far! No pesky little kids were on the swings at the park this morning so I snuck on again after my run, then today was a volunteer day at the shelter, and I got to snuggle with some adorable cats.

And now I get to go check out the rest of the comments and chat with my favorite Cranketeers! A great day or what?

First, I hope that the other J. Graham will consider your suggestion: Runnifer Donkynski!!!

My May goal is sort-of scary for me but I'm hoping that by actually putting it out here I will really follow through! I'm want to actually start using my education and certification by helping others achieve their fitness goals. I know that means I need to start putting myself "out-there" and that is the part that will be the biggest struggle.

Hmm, Jennifer, can donkeys be trained to use indoor plumbing and subsist on a diet of coffee grounds, carrot butts, chocolate wrappers and kale stems? If so, we may have a deal... they're pretty darn cute.

I have to read this book for the donkeys. We had a donkey for a few years. It was not ours but kept showing up in yard. There ensued the husband vs the donkey battle. We had the best fence in the county by the time all was said and done. Donkey still won. It would go over, under and through 5 strands of barbwire and 2 rows of electric fence. Donkeys owners told us to shoot it (nice people eh?) so we had a donkey guest for 5 years. The horses even started to like it. We sold the farm and moved to town. Donkey wandered back to original owners.

Oof, April. I just got back from vacation (a week in Germany) and am still trying to get back into my normal routines. I was sick just before we left, and developed a sinus infection while on the trip, and I'm also still recovering from that.

MOVING ON.

May - this will be when I'm at the peak of my training for the Rock & Roll Half Marathon in San Diego right at the beginning of June. So I need to keep myself healthy so I can get through the training!

I have been focusing my food choices on less processed choices - more whole grains, less "diet" foods. Lots of fruits and veggies (well, except for while we were in Germany - I am not sure much fruit passed my lips!). That's what I want to continue to focus on in May.

I think I would enjoy this book - but then, I'd enjoy most anything about running!

April. Oh April. It was a month of smaaaaaaaall steps. I will embrace that I didn’t exactly stand still. I still worked out during the week but my weekend work out goal was a bust. **now I have to go check**. HEY! I worked out twice on the weekend in April. How about that?! So, I’m going to go ahead and do a little happy dance.

I signed up for a 6 week session at my husband’s gym. It has been fun to shake up my workouts. It’s really helped my mental snow covered rut to learn new things and focus on using my body in different ways. I might learn to jump yet!!

Side note – here in MN we have a winter storm warning. That’s how my May 1st is going this year! :/

I think it's awful that here in the Tidewater we're only in the 50's and 60's lately. Guess I shouldn't gripe. But I will anyway...I live here because I am a giant baby. If I liked it this cold in May I'd move to Fargo. Bring on the sun and heat!

We didn't get the 6-9 inches predicted on May 1st and 2nd but it IS snowing big lazy flakes today. It looks like a snow globe out my window which is pretty but I’m also pretty sick of it. Bring on some sunshine, bring on some blue skies. I’m READY!!

I just finished week 2 at the new gym and it’s been fun. It’s such a great group of people and really positive fun energy. It’s a great way to start the day!50-60s would feel like a heat wave to me – but it’s all relative!

I’m going to start counting happy dances as a second work out – love the idea, thanks Tree! :)

I wondered the same...those are some big damn donkeys! But there ARE several sizes of donkeys out there, and I think we are used to seeing the smaller ones...or the other Graham cracker is a teeny tiny person...making the brayers look huge!

April found me blogging again, plunking down money for Tony Horton's 30 minute workout and resistance bands - only then to discover he had a 10 minute one too. Which would you choose? Yep - me too - 10 minutes is just perfect. Started resisting the resistance bands in favor of mule-worthy, back-breaking yard work since, sorry Theresa, we're having a glorious spring here in the northeast. Slinging mulch, mowing the lawn and planting flowers will take me well into May (unless that horrible weather they're having out west reaches us).

I unexpectedly kicked butt in April. I ramped up the exercise, added a yoga class to lower the stress level and somehow managed to get a puppy training course in the mix twice a week for an hour and a half. I also lost 7 pounds in the process. Kicked the plateau to the curb. Paid attention to the macronutrients for a while but did not come up with answers. Still going to play with that one for a bit in May.

My May goal is heart rate training. The recent posts about HRM's and tracking, nudged me over the fence into HRM land. I just got it in the mail yesterday and still have to figure out most of the buttons.

Yay Tina!!! That sounds awesome. Keep that momentum going and you will be unstoppable!

HRM stuff is pretty cool! I'm on hiatus myself due to a dead chest-strap and laziness (I haven't even figured out how to get the damn battery replaced but I suspect it involves a trip to the post office). But it can be very motivating to have that data!

Oh, I love the idea of winning Runnifer's book, so I'm in for a goal, despite my twice declaring that I don't do goals. But it fits too well with the giveaway so I have to this time.

See, I love running. I used to run, back when I was young and thin, and there is nothing like the feeling afterwards! Now, I am not young and thin. I am old and fat and creaky. I actually began my fitness obsession just over a year ago when I downloaded the British National Health Services Couch to 5K podcasts. They are FANTASTIC!!!!! And I started happily running again (well, doing the granny shuffle and only after dark to avoid all the embarassment of being a fat runner).

I got through the fifth week and halfway through the sixth before my arthritic knees started aching seriously afterwards, and I conceded that fat and arthritis combined was too much and reluctantly switched to strength training with a personal trainer. Which is a thousand times more fun than even running, so yay!

But I do want to run, so after a year of refusing to consider weight loss which I do not believe is a realistic long-term goal (another conversation for another time), I have decided to lose 50lbs this year, figuring that, even if it doesn't last, it will allow me run again for a while, and I might build up enough strength and endurance in the relevant muscles to be able to keep going even after the weight returns.

Oddly enough, I hated the NHS version of couch to 5K - the girl narrating it is just WAY too perky and cheerful to deal with when you're watching the sky change colour every few seconds and trying to find the lung you just coughed up!

I ended up using the podrunner version, which has no narration at all. Much more suitable for the cynics among us!

That's too funny, Shadowduck -- I thought I was about as cynical as they come, but I loved it. I think it's because I was so utterly hopeless for exercise. I needed to be handed a compliment and a smile every few yards. But thinking back, I can definitely see what you mean. I'll try the podrunner when I've lost enough weight to start up again!

I have been doing a lot of riding - my first century ride was about 10 days ago, and it went fine. The only thing is, it was pretty tiring, and it was 25 miles and about 10,000 feet of climbing short of my July goal. So I have to admit to a certain stress level creeping in...I find myself counting the remaining weeks, enumerating the remaining training rides (Really? I signed up for 125 miles with 10,000' of climbing as a training ride???) in my head and, when I can find someone patient enough to hear it one more time, out loud. In other words, this is all starting to seem very real.

But then, I can definitely feel the difference the training has made, and in spite of all this annoying worrying, I am beginning to believe it will be possible to finish the big ride.

For May: 109 miles, 8500' this weekend, 94 miles, 11,000' next weekend, 3x up the local 3800' mountain the weekend after that, then a (relative) rest weekend.

Oh, and the May Day celebration? I like all of the reasons to celebrate, but my own special one is that my husband and I had our first date at the beginning of May & always have our little moment to remember it. It was in 1970. The big student strike protesting the US bombing of Cambodia started right then. We got together for a college weekend, and ended up hanging out together for about two weeks. I even spent some time with his whole family when they came to take him home for the summer. May 1 is a happy day for us!

DRG, I just ordered my road bike. I've been on a hybrid. I am so excited to get it. I feel like an 8 year old waiting for Christmas. I hope to eventually do a century ride. Can you recommend a good book/and or website, about how to train for one?Thanks.Gaye

Gaye, that's wonderful! It's hard to know where to start - there are so many great books & articles. One (ignore the age part - I think of it as having a lot of useful ideas for anyone who does not secretly wish to be riding Tour de France) is Joe Friel's Cycling Past 50. There's active.com which sends out weekly newsletters (and a lot of advertising emails, but they are easy to spot & delete) with all sorts of topics, and a free newsletter called roadbikerider.com that often has interesting links, and Adventure Cycling, which is more about touring, but certainly caters to distance...

Trabb's Boy, you know, cycling doesn't have to be nearly as crazy as I have ended up making it, and it is very good for knees. I was recently diagnosed with bone on bone arthritis in my knee, and it doesn't seem to get in the way. I spent a few years getting into this by riding mostly on paved bike trails & it was lots of fun & not at all scary. No lycra required.

My May goal is to get my mojo and my joy back! I am so bad for my mood matching the weather. I need to get me some hip waders ( on a side note as a kid I always understood they were clown pants)and jump in the puddles every time it rains! So every day I am going to look for the JOY!

May 1st means May Basket Day to me. As a young lass we took pipe cleaners and made handles for little paper drinking cups. They were then filled with pillow mints and salted peanuts and given to the neighbors.

May goals...1. keep my walking going. I had slacked off and am ramping that back up a bit. 2. Save enough money to buy a bicycle. My 12 yr old son JUST learned to ride a bike and wants me to go riding with him. We have a LOT of paved trails here for biking and I would love to take advantage. Finding a bike is tricky because I LOATH that big box store that sells cheap bikes for $100 and I can't afford an expensive one from a bicycle shop. I'm watching the rummage sales though, so perhaps one will come in view soon.

May Day pipe cleaner cups with mints and peanuts? Seriously? This is a ritual I have not heard of. Sounds endearingly weird!

If you live where there are paved trails and have a 12 year old who will tolerate maternal company on rides, then gosh yes, get a bike! Rummage sales, want ads, even the evil Big Box store might be worth considering before the weather turns cold again and the kid turns surly. But then you probably have managed to spawn a kid who will be the exception to the adolescent norm and actually be sociable with his mom.

I don't know if you have this in your neck of the woods but here we have a local community paper you can put a classified in for free. Of course there is also bulletin boards. Anyway, my suggestion is to place an ad that says I need a sturdy bike so you can ride with your son who just learned to ride. That motivates people that have an unused bike to come forward when they would not have otherwise.

Write!!!!! Just do it. If you're feeling it, then go with it. I know what you mean about the bike frustration. Do you have a good Craig's list community where you live? Maybe check there for a good bike. Maybe it's like exercise equipment and you'll find a great one that someone intended to use but never did.Wishing you luck on that. Because how great to ride with your son.

OK, now I want a donkey. Probably not a good idea. S/he would just get into the inflatable pool & pop it. I'd love to read the book, though!

May Day always makes me think of dancing around a maypole. 'Cause of all the Shakespeare, I suppose.Anyway, my goals for May are to continue to lift heavier weights & work a little harder, keep up with the yoga, and use my brand new juicer! :)

April for me was about getting back in the habit of going to the gym. My goal was to get in the gym 15 out of April's 30 days, and I did it so I am a happy camper.

My goal for May is to attempt running. My running motto used to be nobody should have to run unless they are being chased, so this is going to be an experience. I'm more than a little nervous but I'm going to try!

that is one of the funniest Motto's I've heard. I just want to be able to run if I'm being chased! I hope you enjoy that new challenge. And serious congratulations on meeting your goal for April!! That is awesome.

And upthread Trabb's Boy had a podcast suggestion for couch to 5k, don't know if that would be helpful...

Just be careful about going slow at first to avoid injuries! (Said the cranky crab who is just now getting back to running THREE YEARS after she injured her foot. And who could easily re-injure it if she doesn't watch herself).

I am feeling AMAZEBALLS lately and my goal for May is to just spend the month rolling around in how good I'm feeling. (Is that aerobic?)The weather is finally thinking about warming up, the worst of the pollen is over, my bike should arrive this week, my ankle is cooperating of late - exciting times ahead. Trying to decide if I can do another half marathon or whether that would be pushing it. Pushing is good, hurting is not. Such a fine line. :)Gaye

I had to go away and think about goals for May, but now I'm back. My routine pretty much went out the window last month when my cat went missing. Happily he came back and I was hoping to jump right back into the normal routine, but of course that's not working out. The next few weeks are going to be busy for me, so my goal is to get creative about fitting in exercise and keeping food reasonable (we're not going to have access to our kitchen for 5 days).

So basically my goal is to...uh...keep my sanity. That's a good goal. I need my sanity. I think.

Wow, straight from a lost animal crisis to a kitchen remodel, hard to keep things "normal" in terms of working out & eating. Sounds like you're giving it your best despite obstacles, and these things are temporary, so I'd say prioritizing sanity is an excellent idea!

i'm so glad your cat is back! Good luck with the kitchen. Hopefully you live near some healthy take out options. Sanity is good, but can be over-rated. It's how you enjoy the madness that counts sometimes.

My goal for April was to get at least one workout in per day, whether it be my first-thing-in-the-morning elliptical, my 4-mile walk at lunchtime, or yoga/hiking/workout video/whatever in the evening. I did it! Some days all three! MapMyRun really helps, because seeing continuous lines of colors across my calendar week after week looks better than having breaks in the weeks. What can I say? OCD is helpful sometimes.

For May, I'm trying to get back to running outside now that the weather is nice. By the end of the month I'd like to be back to running 3+ times per week and getting my 5k time back under 30 minutes. If only I can keep that side stitch at bay...

And wow, way to use the mapmyrun ocd behavior for success! I think that's one of the best things about those kind of programs; they appeal to the obsessive in all of us.

Side stitches suck! I think there are some breathing techniques and other random advice but I bet you've already googled. But good luck on incorporating running into the mix, so many people limit themselves to just one or two things and then they burn out quickly. Yay Barkeater!

Thanks! These are all my smaller monthly goals which help me move toward my long-term goal. I'm working toward becoming a 46r - climbing all 46 Adirondack Mountains above 4000 feet ("Adirondack" loosely translates to "Barkeater" in Mohican). I'm at the halfway point. Last season I did 12 of them, all solo, and I want to keep up that pace, but I've got some really tough ones coming up in the next few months. Yikes! But this is my main motivation for getting and staying in the best shape I can.

I love MapMyRun because I can track all my workouts and not just running. Let me know if you sign up and we can watch each other's progress. I'm ktaylor100. Have a great month as well!

I have WAY too much stuff already on the go to even think about adding a new goal for May! And since none of it's health and / or fitness related (it's not that I'm not taking exercise, it's just that my goals aren't exercise-related right now), I won't bother to bore you with the details...

oh, c'mon! Let's hear em. Just a boring old goal. I do hear you though. I'm just still working on the usual list of goals. Maybe even working on cutting one or two out. Not cutting out health or fitness, of course.... good luck to you to!

Ehhh... Well, my Goal Post goal LAST month boiled down to spending 45 minutes or so each day studying Spanish vocabulary (hit that one 100%), and this month I'll be continuing with that (and each subsequent month until I stop finding words I don't know) plus I've started a course with the Instituto Cervantes working towards a DELE (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera) level B2 (kinda-sorta-upper-intermediate-ish) certification. Never a dull moment.

Fortunately, I have my life organised so that at least a basic amount of exercise is "built in" without me having to specifically take time for it!

Wow Shadowduck, you were 100% last month? Awesome. And yeah you sound plenty busy without piling on anything new. I find if I shift focus to something new, something else tends to drop off somewhere, so if you've got a good balance of activities no need to mess with it!

I'm so impressed with your language study. One of my regrets is that I never managed to really learn another language fluently. I know I still can, but it's low on the list. Congratulations on all of it. And thanks for sharing!

To be honest Tree, learning a second language as an adult is such a massive timesuck and requires so much commitment year after year that I couldn't possibly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a) an overwhelming fascination with language in general and b) a really, really good reason to learn a specific language.

First I have to say THANK YOU, Crabby, or the gods of giveaways.... I needed this today. For real, I feel so special. Now, I also have to say that I have waited all month for this to come around again. I just discovered it last month and was so inspired and supported by this group. You all really changed my experience for the whole month. I wish there was a way to keep it going, but I'll take it however it comes.As for Crabby's comment.. this line "If what I'm doing doesn't seem fun, I want to either figure out how to make it less chore like or do something else for awhile." has been a part of my life for a while and though I keep forgetting it, I keep remembering it too! It's really important for me as a mom because I don't want to be a cranky mom or frustrated mom. And most of the time if I let go and allow it to be fun, my 5 year old is totally on board and every day is better. As far as fitness.... I'm still struggling, but I'm not jerking any chains when I tell you that you all helped me turn it around, finally. I do feel like I"m at least thinking and acting in my own best interest now. Not just getting overwhelmed and going out for sugar as medicine. I just worked out and showered and feel good about that. It's time to swim again and I'm not letting my thighs stop me. At least not in the privacy of my own back yard. This is also another joy to share with my daughter (how stupid would it be to miss out on these days playing in the pool with her?)Oh, and that author isn't nearly fat enough for me. I thought the photo must be an "after"... I suppose for a runner though... Okay, rah rah to all!!

Love the energy you bring to these posts and it really helps to hear your encouraging words. And that's so cool that you're turning things around with fitness and rediscovering how important "fun" is!

And even though most people wander away after a few days, some do stick around, and in my mind the thread is "open" all month. So if you have any thoughts or reports or struggles feel free to stop by! May take me a day or two to get around to replying but i usually do and so might some of the other awesome Cranketeers.

My goal for May is to get all the plants I can find room for moved from the old house to the new house before the sale on the 18th. (After that I suppose I rest up.) Driving thirty miles and back with digging at both ends and water hauling at this end is going to be a good workout twice a week if I can get there that often. Of course, my jobs, all seven days of them, involve a great deal of physical exertion, thank goodness. I can't imagine how much pain I'd be in if I had to sit at a desk all day long.

Unfortunately (for me) this is just a "hi" since my goal is getting nowhere! I aspire to lose some weight but have not conquered my love/hate relationship with food nor my aversion to most exercise. Just being honest. In my (small) defense I will say that my thyroid meds are still being adjusted up by my doctor on my past two visits. At least my eyebrows are beginning to grow in again as a result of the adjusted meds. Does that count? It was kind of an unstated goal. Anyway I will pick up my latest strengthened meds tomorrow and hope for more energetic days. Keep well!

Well mk, you are not the only one who struggles with that! And if your thyroid is wonky that definitely wouldn't help things; hope the meds help with energy.

Sometimes when I'm flailing with a goal, I'll try to break it down into the TINIEST of increments and just think about doing one little positive thing each day, and screw the rest until I'm in a better place to be more motivated and energized. It could even just be an observational thing, or a planning step action step that will make an action step in the future a little easier.

Remember that it can take up to three weeks for you to feel the difference after an adjustment of your thyroid medication. If there's going to be a difference. (I was a growing teenager when I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so it took FOREVER to get to normal. As in about six years.) Your aversion to exercise will lessen when your thyroid is not struggling to convince your heart it needs to pump more blood. I used to run up the two flights of stairs at school so I could do the breathless panting part on the third floor hall instead of _on_ the stairs. Eyebrows growing in! Yay!

I am late as always.. I was reading comments too - you have fun readers!!! :) I am not sure on a goal beyond making money at something I will not hate... I do want to take up yoga at some point but need money to take a class. :)

I am hesitant to make goals right now as my mind is a jumble of thoughts. I need to calm it down so I don't make wrong decisions! :)

I agree that I have really fun readers Jody, aren't they awesome? And that includes you of course.

I SO know what you mean about it being so hard to sort out the career/money thing and figuring out tradeoffs in terms of what's fun versus what pays actual money and how to get at least a little of both? It's good you're not rushing and are taking your time to figure things out! Sometimes a "goal" could just be to set aside some calm reflective time somewhere peaceful and do some daydreaming or brainstorming without putting pressure on what comes of it. What sucks is when the whole question gets so stressful that your brain ends up going in the same circles all the time.

Made a great step toward our fitness goal by spending some hard earned money on a new elliptical for the house. So far, working great. Saves time from driving to a gym, and the cost of the beast makes me want to use it!

Her book subtitle is hilarious! I always want to cheer for an overweight person when I see them running (don't worry...I know that would backfire). Still, the book title is funny. I might check it out. Thanks for the recommendation (and the reminder to write out my goals again).

Wow Kimberly you are such an inspiration! I'm not sure anyone else is 100% on their goals since the very beginning! Are you noticing benefits from all that meditation? I've never kept it up long enough myself!

My goal for this month was to spend more time outside. I had a baby three and a half months ago and I have spent a lot of time indoors with my infant. We both need the suns healthy resources so I tried to be outside at least 5 days a week. We went on parks, walks and other adventures around the city. I am going to continue working on this through out the year. I can be such a home body!

3 1/2 months is soooo new! Congratulations. My sister has a nearly 6 month old and I'm getting in on some of their walks. I loved walking with my daughter in the stroller (we had a BOB). I tend to be a home body too and having a baby just intensified it. I see my sister out and about so much and think I might do it differently if I had it to do again. Enjoy that sunshine and fresh air! It's a wonderful goal to have.